I'm a salesman with a electrical distributers so i get to go around and visit my customers "on the clock". I love wood working and spend just about all my spare time on my lathe. One of my customers is a local exotic Hardwood mill. I give the guys out there some little boxes and bowls i make and they save me cut-offs of beautiful kiln dried exotics... for free. Im happy with the arrangement.
I have been to a small hardwood store a few times and it wasn't until the last time that I figured out I could ask questions about using the wood on certain projects! And at that last visit, he also told me they can mill up wood to the dimensions I need - WOW. I am so excited to learn more from this video - and the series. Thanks for spending the time.
We just bought our own portable sawmill, now I'm picking up local logs and milling them ourselves. It'll take a few years to build up a supply of dry stock but that's part of my enjoyment. Keep doing your thing, I love this channel!
Really, I thank you. My youngest son (15) got into woodturning about 2 years ago and you've been one of two of his inspiration. His godfather is the other. Thank you!
I didn't know you were near Austin! I didn't recognize you, but that's me walking past with a couple bits of 8/4 poplar at 1:41 lol. Amazing. Small world.
Wow. That was a great series. Even considering myself fairly knowledgeable already, I learned a lot from you over these last several videos. I have already recommended this series to a few people that have had questions about woodworking as a beginner. Your delivery was perfect. You could easily market this series to a high school as their first week of classes (even though you just about covered a whole semester's worth of content). It might also serve the purpose of an intro to a college level course, to assure that all the students are on the same page by day 1, but maybe that is stepping on toes...don't want to anger any "professors". That's just my opinion, but it seems like you are very interested in helping people learn, more so than blurting out information. I thank you for your time and effort. I will continue to share links to your videos, and I already see something on your store I will be looking at in the future. I wish you continued luck this pursuit, and I hope it truly IS worth your efforts, so that we can keep watching these videos. Take care.
@@wortheffort As a professor, I can stay I'd never turn down helpful instructional content that is available free of charge. Good instruction, regardless of where it comes from, is good instruction. :) You've done a good job with this. I myself found it helpful.
Very well done. My first big furniture project, a dining table for my daughter, was made starting from rough red oak. She helped me with it, and we came up with a great result that her family uses every day. I found that the local hardwood seller was very helpful, but I sure could have used this video. Thank you, Shawn.
Wow what a huge amount of work and knowledge. Thank you so much, I've been hesitant to go to my local hardwood dealer, now I have confidence to take the next step.
I’ve been wood butchering for decades using quality (?) wood from the big box store’s lumber sections. I knew some of the proper terms, but learned a lot of the “secret” terminology of woodworkers from this video. I do mainly woodturning and just found a hardwood dealer in my area. They turned out to be supper friendly (as long as you stayed out of their way when they were doing real business (i.e. bulk orders). But the best thing is, they have a whole area of bargain drops from where they’ve trimmed boards that had split ends or some other issues. So you can find things like I did, a 10” length of 12/4 x 8” black walnut (with wonderful grain pattern) for $4, amongst about $2-300 worth of turning blanks 4/4-16/4 thick 4-10” usable width and 8-18” long for a total of $50. It is going to be one of my favorite places and now I can ask more intelligent questions about the type of stock they have to fit my projects, and get the best value even if it means buying a long board or three. Thanks again Shawn for the educational videos. It’s alway good to be taught something by someone who knows what they’re talking about. Stay safe and keep them coming. Cheers, Tom
Another really important point to add when shopping is "Respect the facility and the workers. Don't make extra unnecessary work for them!" For example "oh I don't want this maple anymore I'm just gonna stick it here next to this Osage Orange." Or "Im gonna trade out this ebony out for this kingwood" etc., etc.. My local hardwood company has recently put out an email addressing those shoppers that aren't putting boards/ blanks back where they had gotten them from. They have said they would have to close to the public and would only be open for online orders if it keeps happening. Nobody wants that! 😥 Please, please, PLEASE! Just put stuff back where you got it from! If you don't remember where you got it from ask an employee, they would rather help you find where it goes rather than find it later after a long day when they just want to go home.
BLUF: I love all your content, but this course you have been making (and will make with the intermediate level) is awesome. I am moving soon to a much less busy area of VA that isn't just outside of D.C. and I can't wait to go hardwood dealer searching. With moving out of an apartment room shop to something that has a bit more freedom and accessibility, I have so many ideas for projects that I won't have to lug up 3 flights of stairs. Regardless, this video really answered a lot of questions I had and gave me some ideas for how to introduce myself to a dealer. I am very excited to see the intermediate level course and will be with you the entire way, Shawn. Keep up the amazing work and extremely informative videos. I know we all appreciate it!
I appreciate your videos! Your time and knowledge makes this more enjoyable by skipping some of the noobie issues. I bought "The loud yellow one" last week...can't wait to get it. Have a great week!
You have done a huge amount of work in a short time. Is your middle name Hercules? The dissemination of woodworking know-how, like many of the "old ways", may be crucial to imparting resilience to people in the parlous circumstances we now find ourselves: the social equivalent of "If you find that you are in trouble the best thing to do is pick up a chisel and get to work!", both in terms of physical and spiritual survival. I salute you!
There are also heavy quarters out there such as heavy 8 quarter, heavy 10 quarter, heavy 12 quarter etc. which will give a thicker finish plank but you will pay a premium for these.
Thanks for another amazing course! Fine Lumber & Plywood in Austin is a fantastic resource. I'm very thankful they allow retail customer access to their inventory. We must be mindful that we need these dealers more than they need us, so be respectful and don't make a mess of the lumber bins. Also, don't just ask random workers random questions; it's not Lowe's, so don't expect "customer service". If you need help, go back to the counter and wait your turn again. It's all just part of the process.
Wow, I was salivting looking at all that beautiful hardwoods. We just don't have that kind of volume or species types over here in the UK. 'Britain was once virtually covered in mixed woodland. However once we started making ships and houses for the increasing population out of the native hardwoods then the forests started rapidly disappearing. I have recently learned that we have more trees in the UK now than we did in the early part of the last century, mainly due to re-planting projects to try and regenerate some woodlands. Thanks for a fascinating and very well put together video - it was interesting and informative viewing.
I thought I recognized Fine Lumber. Glad to see you are close by! I'm in Round Rock! Watching you makes me think that I used to know your dad back in the 80's. I can't remember his name, but he had a Saturday radio show. Miss those. Great video's sir!
I am am Furtado enough, to have a saw mill here, and they let me sort through. Very helpful people, I been doing it for a while. And still very helpful, like I was build a desk for someone, gave them the just of it, and that I was looking for inlays, they gave me ideas to get that pop. Plus I have had them cut things down for me at no charge, like plywood, just so much easier to handle on me table saw that way. May not have coffe but willing to help.
The only places I’ve seen like this have pine. Nothing but pine. North Carolina I got a 8x10 shed slapped together for 500 bucks back around 13 years ago . Cheap fast and not bad for that time. Even better now but the place probably ain’t even around anymore . It’s a nicety just having a place to buy from hand pick or not. I emailed a place by the beach here that has exotic wood and they won’t email me back. Guess I have to move to Canada. Or Vermont . A damn figured curly maple board already picked out 2”x8”x16” enough to make a cutting board seems to cost 300 bucks online or ebay. . I was hoping to get that size a lot cheaper at a yard but I guess you have to buy thousands of dollars for them to communicate. . But It ain’t like a board has a head stock that says Gibson or fender . Or fancy bed post and a matress. Just a 2 inch thick board 8 inches wide ! Even at 200 bucks , What a rip off for a damn figured board. So if you have a place near by with hardwood that you can buy just a piece or 2. Or 10. For less than 300 bucks. Then You are blessed !
Depends. Mine has both wholesale store and a retail store. Wholesale i cant pick my lumber, retail I can. But there is a big price difference between them. I also have a other supplier who will let you pick but you pay an upcharge doing so. But at wholesale prices. And some hardwoods dealers won't deal with retail customers at all. Then you get local sawers who cut down private property trees and trees from. Parks to rough cut into lumber one by me will cut your tree, saw it up and store it for you for a price on stickers. So that tree grandpa planted when your dad was 7 and now your 60 has to come down its dangrous or in the way. But you dont want to see it go to waste. Or cut up for firewood. It might make a great dinning table for your house. Urban lumbering is really a good idea.
Thanks for the video! Really cool you are in Austin, I am as well. Complete newbie here to woodworking and was also recommended by another friend about austin's Fine Lumber & Plywood Inc. I'm looking to build a media storage for some blu-rays and game consoles, nothing heavy. one of my biggest concerns is non-flat boards. Are S4S boards pretty much safe bet where I don't need to worry about flatness? thanks!
I just have to say, I have a great amount of respect for your choice not to have jump cuts to try to make yourself sound better. Medullary rays, being the example in this video. Your willingness to just be who you are in these videos is one of the biggest reasons I subscribe. I guess I'm one of the fortunate ones. I live about a half an hour from Peach State Lumber in Georgia. They have a very similar operation to the place you toured (though not quite as large as a selection). I also find their prices are better than big box stores and the customer service is awesome.
Oh, there are lots of jump cuts as I studder, misspeak, pause, pick nose, etc.... a lot. Glad you don't notice them though. And ya, pricing is usually better.
Great information and thank you for the effort. I have access to mills that produce the quarter stock you show in the beginning of your video. I commonly carry a small block plane with me and ask permission to skip shave a small portion of 8 quarter or 4 quarter stock to inspect grain. If permission is granted, and most times it is, I can get an idea of the final appearance of the wood. Now this wood is green so either one is committed to air drying the wood or, in my case, drying it in a home built kiln. These small mills will work with you on a folding green cash basis but know the prices of finished woods in advance and work backwards to come to a fair price for both you you and the supplier.
Love the videos, always good even for someone that's not really "Beginner" anymore but still learning. Also, I had no idea you were in the Austin area, very cool. I'm just south of you outside of San Antonio. Keep up the knowledge dump, I know many of us are just soaking it all in!
Hey, Here’s a crazy question. I’ve recently dug some old cedar boards out of the mud pile and built some flower boxes for Spring. I recently read that insects don’t like cedar saw dust so I sprinkled it around the foundation of my house ass natural repellent to help keep them away. Speaking of making saw dust do you have any useful ways of how to use the various species of saw dust ? Perhaps a little off topic but just curious about your thoughts? Thanks.
"... lifelong customer" - You used that phrase several times. Let's say I walked into a hardwood dealer's office and said "I'm just getting into woodworking, and if like to build this . Could you help me?" They would take one look at me and realize that even if I became a lifelong customer, I don't have as many years left as most of their customers do.
Not to make fun of ya man, but what camera are you using that doesn't let you see the focus in the field? I know a LOT of modern filming DSLR cameras and even video cameras have reversible screens.
@@wortheffort XD that is true. My mind just jumped to conclusions with the way you said it. You made it sound like the old film cameras where you would find terrible footage because a spider was sitting behind the lens all day.
There are a lot of small mills that do custom sawing and drying. even cities there are urban mills that use trees that were taken down from yards and streets. You may have to kick over a few rocks to find them, but customer service and pricing is way better than big lumber dealers.
Malamik Art I’d disagree. While there I saw an overweight gray haired lady get helped just as anyone else. It all has to do with the people and their appreciation of money.”
